Yes vote ‘only guarantee’ of keeping commissioner

A YES vote in next October’s Lisbon treaty referendum is Ireland’s only chance of ensuring it keeps an EU commissioner, the British Foreign Secretary warned.

David Miliband was in Dublin yesterday for a meeting with his Irish counterpart Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin and said “the eyes of Europe will be on Ireland in the early part of October”.

He said the guaranteessecured by the Irish Government on issues such as defence, abortion and taxation, represent a “win-win” for all EU countries.

“The legal guarantees that were achieved were obviously a win for the people of Ireland, but the progress that was made was obviously a win for the rest of Europe as well,” he said. “I think the way in which the Government of Ireland prosecuted the case they needed to make after the vote last year was really exemplary.

“The views of the Irish people were explained in real detail and in real depth by the Government of Ireland to successive European Councils and I think that is the explanation of why a good deal was achieved for Ireland at the European Council 10 days ago. One feature of the modern European Union is you can have a good deal for one country without it being a bad deal for everybody else.”

Following the meeting, he told reporters that the EU would continue to exist under the rules of the Nice treaty which will require leaders to address the commitment in that document to reduce the number of commissioners.

“The Irish Government has exercised real influence in Europe over the last 12 months since the referendum vote. I think clearly the debate about the number of commissioners would be re-opened if we live under Nice treaty and that, at a minimum, brings uncertainty,” he said.

Mr Martin said: “It’s clear that if we vote No a second time there is going to be a reduction in the size of the commission and we cannot say with certainty that Ireland can retain its commissioner under Nice, we can say for certain that Ireland can retain its commissioner under the Lisbon treaty.”

Meanwhile, the Government will look for the approval of the Oireachtas before making any decision on abandoning the country’s veto, similar to the demand made by the German Constitutional Court on its ruling on the Lisbon treaty.

The provision will be in the bill to be published shortly to allow a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty due to be held in early October, a government spokesperson confirmed.

A government spokesperson said: “The 2009 Bill will include specific provision that prior approval of each House of the Oireachtas will be necessary before the Government can agree to use the passerelle clause and certain other options and discretions provided for in the treaty.”